Red wine can be made at home in a month with very little equipment or ingredients. Most everything needed to make homemade red wine is in your kitchen already, and what needs to be purchased is inexpensive. After you've made a batch or two and decided if you like it, you may want to invest in more elaborate equipment and ingredients. Add this to my Recipe Box.
The Equipment
Before starting the process of homemade wine, make sure that your equipment is sterile. The best way to accomplish this is to pour boiling water in the brewing vessel and over any implements you will use.
A stainless steel stock pot with a lid will work fine for wine-brewing. A 12-quart pot will allow you to brew two gallons of wine, while an 8-quart will yield a gallon. You will also need a long-handled stainless steel or wooden spoon and four to five feet of food-grade plastic tubing. A sheet of cheesecloth to cover the pot is the only other thing you will need. If you cannot find cheesecloth, a piece of a clean cotton sheet will work.
The Ingredients
For every gallon of red wine you plan to make, you will need two cans of thawed, frozen 100 percent grape juice. You will also need one package of red wine yeast. This yeast is available at any local brew shop or can be found at several online retailers. You will also need two pounds of sugar for every gallon of wine you plan to make. A cup of sugar weighs approximately a pound.
The Process
Pour a half gallon (64 ounces) of water into the stockpot. Place the stockpot on the stove over medium heat. Add the correct amount of sugar for the number of gallons of wine you plan to make. Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, and remove the pan from the heat. Add the thawed grape juice concentrate and stir. Add cold water. (For each gallon of of wine, add five cups (40 ounces) of cold water.) Stir the mixture, then add one package of red wine yeast and stir to distribute. Place the cheesecloth over the top of the stockpot. Set the lid on the pot, slightly ajar to allow the wine to breathe. Place the pot in an area of your kitchen or pantry where the temperature will remain fairly consistent. Let the wine brew for three to four weeks. When you can no longer see bubbles rising to the top of the brew, the wine is ready to be bottled.
Bottling the Wine
Use food grade tubing to siphon the wine into bottles that can be capped. You can use clean soda bottles, clean wine bottles or jars that have screw-on lids. Keep the siphon off the bottom of the brewing vessel. Wine forms a "must" or residue on the bottom of the container that can cloud the finished wine.
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